Board With Your BlackBerry

I can't offer up sob stories about layovers at Heathrow or two-hour check-in lines -- my most sordid airport experience involved losing a bottle of 100% agave tequila to Mexican airport security. Still, I always pride myself on using savvy traveler technology like e-tickets and self-serve kiosks, because lines are for suckers.

Well, I certainly felt like one when the International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently told me the Canadians have been one-upping me since September 2007. My northern neighbors, I am told, have been flashing only their cell phones and a dashing smile while breezing through check-in and boarding, courtesy of Air Canada and bar-code technology.

"So how does it work and how can I get it?" I hastily queried.

Here's how Canadians do it:

When booking tickets online, passengers simply provide their mobile phone, PDA or smartphone number; an SMS text message is then sent to the screen of their mobile device the day before the flight. This message includes a recap of flight details and allows the passenger to set seat preferences and validate check-in.

A second text message sent the day of the flight contains a 2D bar-code that the passengers scan when they board the plane, walk into an airport lounge or enter any place normally requiring a paper boarding pass. Skipping the check-in desk entirely, bags can be left at a drop point prior to security screening.